Friday, August 31, 2007

Psalm 24 Today's Daily Bread

A psalm of David.

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.

2 For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.

3 Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?

4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.

5 They will receive the LORD's blessing
and have right standing with God their savior.

6 They alone may enter God's presence
and worship the God of Israel. F27

Interlude

7 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.

8 Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, invincible in battle.

9 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.

10 Who is the King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

Interlude


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F27: Hebrew of Jacob.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Luke 3 Today

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler F10 over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler F11 over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living out in the wilderness. 3Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. F12 4Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,

"He is a voice shouting in the wilderness:
'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming!
Make a straight road for him!

5 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills!
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places!

6 And then all people will see
the salvation sent from God.'" F13

7Here is a sample of John's preaching to the crowds that came for baptism: "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment? 8Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Don't just say, 'We're safe—we're the descendants of Abraham.' That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. 9Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire."

10The crowd asked, "What should we do?"

11John replied, "If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."

12Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

13"Show your honesty," he replied. "Make sure you collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to."

14"What should we do?" asked some soldiers. John replied, "Don't extort money, and don't accuse people of things you know they didn't do. And be content with your pay."

15Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16John answered their questions by saying, "I baptize with F14 water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. F15 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. F16 17He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire." 18John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.

19John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.

The Baptism of Jesus

21One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you. F17 "

The Record of Jesus' Ancestors

23Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.

Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Heli.

24 Heli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Jannai.
Jannai was the son of Joseph.

25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Amos.
Amos was the son of Nahum.
Nahum was the son of Esli.
Esli was the son of Naggai.

26 Naggai was the son of Maath.
Maath was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Semein.
Semein was the son of Josech.
Josech was the son of Joda.

27 Joda was the son of Joanan.
Joanan was the son of Rhesa.
Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the son of Neri.

28 Neri was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Addi.
Addi was the son of Cosam.
Cosam was the son of Elmadam.
Elmadam was the son of Er.

29 Er was the son of Joshua.
Joshua was the son of Eliezer.
Eliezer was the son of Jorim.
Jorim was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.

30 Levi was the son of Simeon.
Simeon was the son of Judah.
Judah was the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jonam.
Jonam was the son of Eliakim.

31 Eliakim was the son of Melea.
Melea was the son of Menna.
Menna was the son of Mattatha.
Mattatha was the son of Nathan.
Nathan was the son of David.

32 David was the son of Jesse.
Jesse was the son of Obed.
Obed was the son of Boaz.
Boaz was the son of Salmon. F18
Salmon was the son of Nahshon.

33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni. F19
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.

34 Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor.

35 Nahor was the son of Serug.
Serug was the son of Reu.
Reu was the son of Peleg.
Peleg was the son of Eber.
Eber was the son of Shelah.

36 Shelah was the son of Cainan.
Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem.
Shem was the son of Noah.
Noah was the son of Lamech.

37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the son of Enoch.
Enoch was the son of Jared.
Jared was the son of Mahalalel.
Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.

38 Kenan was the son of Enosh. F20
Enosh was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:
F10: Greek Herod was tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod.
F11: Greek tetrarch; also in 3:1c, 19.
F12: Greek preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
F13: Isa 40:3-5.
F14: Or in.
F15: Greek to untie his sandals.
F16: Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire.
F17: Some manuscripts read and today I have become your Father.
F18: Greek Sala; see Ruth 4:22.
F19: Arni is the same person as Ram; see 1 Chr 2:9-10.
F20: Greek Enos; see Gen 5:6.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Isaiah 52 Today

Deliverance for Jerusalem

1Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourselves with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will no longer enter your gates. 2Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Remove the slave bands from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3For this is what the LORD says: "When I sold you into exile, I received no payment. Now I can redeem you without paying for you."

4This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Long ago my people went to live as resident foreigners in Egypt. Now they have been oppressed without cause by Assyria. 5And now, what is this?" asks the LORD. "Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is being blasphemed all day long. 6But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that it is I who speaks to them."

7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel F112 reigns! 8The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD bringing his people home to Jerusalem. F113 9Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the LORD has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10The LORD will demonstrate his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. The ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

11Go now, leave your bonds and slavery. Put Babylon behind you, with everything it represents, for it is unclean to you. You are the LORD's holy people. Purify yourselves, you who carry home the vessels of the LORD. 12You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you, and the God of Israel will protect you from behind.

The LORD's Suffering Servant

13See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14Many were amazed when they saw him F114 —beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. 15And he will again startle F115 many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Psalm 68 Today

For the choir director: A psalm of David. A song.

1 What mighty praise, O God,
belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you,

2 for you answer our prayers,
and to you all people will come.

3 Though our hearts are filled with sins,
you forgive them all.

4 What joy for those you choose to bring near,
those who live in your holy courts.
What joys await us
inside your holy Temple.

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
O God our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth,
even those who sail on distant seas.

6 You formed the mountains by your power
and armed yourself with mighty strength.

7 You quieted the raging oceans
with their pounding waves
and silenced the shouting of the nations.

8 Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
you inspire shouts of joy.

9 You take care of the earth and water it,
making it rich and fertile.
The rivers of God will not run dry;
they provide a bountiful harvest of grain,
for you have ordered it so.

10 You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
and bless its abundant crops.

11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

12 The wilderness becomes a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.

13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
They all shout and sing for joy!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Isaiah 6 Today's Daily Bread

Isaiah 6

Isaiah's Cleansing and Call

1In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. 3In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!" 4The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.

5Then I said, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!"

6Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. 7He touched my lips with it and said, "See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven."

8Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?" And I said, "Lord, I'll go! Send me."

9And he said, "Yes, go. But tell my people this: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.' 10Harden the hearts of these people. Close their ears, and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn to me for healing."

11Then I said, "Lord, how long must I do this?" And he replied, "Until their cities are destroyed, with no one left in them. Until their houses are deserted and the whole country is an utter wasteland. 12Do not stop until the LORD has sent everyone away to distant lands and the entire land of Israel lies deserted. 13Even if only a tenth—a remnant—survive, it will be invaded again and burned. Israel will remain a stump, like a tree that is cut down, but the stump will be a holy seed that will grow again."

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Psalm 63 today, and Journalin - Definition of Earnest, Key to unlock understanding of the blessing of the Lord upon His sons

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.
3 Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you!
4 I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
5 You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy.
6 I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.
7 I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.
8 I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely.
9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth.
10 They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God. All who trust in him will praise him,
while liars will be silenced.

Lena Journals

There is pain in life, hopefully the pain will be used to cause us to turn towards the Lordship of Christ and His supernatural power to heal us.
The thing most find is that when we turn to the Lordship of Christ there can be pain also, a sort of suffering, when one gives up what has been important to them in life, what they’ve depended on up to that point.
There is a suffering in weaning the soul from even bad relationships. In Christ there should be a severing of what did not work, or what was actually killing, stealing and bringing destruction to one’s life outside of the Lordship of Christ. Those things must be left behind in order to tap into the blessing the love of God’s flooding spirit gives us. We absolutely cannot have our cake and eat it too, in this case.
But that blessing will barely be even felt if we hold on to past alliances, allegiances, hopes, dreams, relationships, etc. To let God, one must let go of old things.
Do you know every man’s cry on the depth of the inside is that of his longing to be made whole and complete inside of a relationship with God through Christ?
The cry a man cries out in pain of suffering inside of the consequences of wrong choices made, is a cry to see God face to face.
In seeing God face to face, a person has new choices. There are new choices for that which gives and brings life.
The big “catch” to all God has to offer man is that man chooses and becomes responsible where he may have been irresponsible. Many of us want all the love and the blessings, but ask us to take a personal responsibility for change and find out what happens to the soul.
I earnestly seek You, God….. How earnest? In USA we say so many things, that if it were to come down to being made responsible, or to have to pay, or to have to give time and labor for, we’d not be quite so “earnest” in our desire towards what we though we’d like to have or see.
So this carries over into our earnest serving of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords also. We may feel like we wish we could be a blessed Christian, especially if it is all free to us, no responsibility, no laying down of who I am now, ya know God accepts me as I am sort of thing…., but if God asked us to change or asked us to be responsible or to pay, or labor or fight, how earnest would we really be? REALLY.
This is another thing. Our words are like wax, heat comes to our lives and the meaning of them is not as it appeared to be when the words were shot out there.
I hear people say church is important to them, the kingdom of God is the most important thing on their list of priorities in life, and they come to church whenever it is convenient, because they have to do all of their own stuff first before they ever join into corporate prayer meetings or church set activities. Things a man set up and asked a bunch of people to do together. What he asked us to do is not as important as what I see to do, so I do my thing first and may never get to his, come on, he’s just a man anyway with good ideas, ya know? But we love this church and we are “member” there…..
These well meaning people don’t make sacrifices for what another man plans for a congregation to do, they do whatever is right to them, when they can. They even spend energy trying out other churches to see who’s doing the fun thing (not being committed). They never end up serving the kingdom unless it just happens to be the right day, time, season and hour, by a holy “coincidence”. If and whenever that comes, it feels so Divine they call it God and go on with life as is, till the next “coincidence” comes.
Whenever I go to church services I get inspired and I respond, I make promises to God or I worship Him there, but what do I do when I leave there? What do I do at home to stay inspired? What do I do with what I heard? God likes inspiring us, and He likes it even better when we take the inspiration outside of the church walls and raise it into full grown fruit, a lifestyle that represents the kingdom of God well. A life that goes from inspiration to inspiration and changes willfully.
He likes when we love to be at His house together gathered in agreement and unity with the body, so much that He’d like to see us do the same with members regularly, more than one time per week. Meeting as family, kingdom of God family members, the same members more than one time per week.
How much we love God’s house is evidenced in how often we want to be there, if we make sacrifices to get there and what we do there. Do we serve the house as a family member? How long have we been there and are still a causal observer as though we are being entertained or maybe spoon fed? Have we become a servant, a lover of men, a brother or sister, or a feeder yet? All of these things are expressions of love for God’s house.
How do we honor God? With our hands raised in church or with a phrase like – “Praise the Lord”? Nope, not at all, for He sees wayyyyy beyond all that to what counts. Can He touch on issues of the heart? Can He touch them even by a human hand, possibly asking intimate questions, identifying blind areas, and showing you a way to not crash?
We honor God by changing our lives to conform and become as His word is. That’s how He as our Father, is honored.
He’s honored when we submit to humans and do things their way when we could just go off and do our own things. We could go do good works for the Lord, but we submit our good ideas to help another person (specifically the pastor or who he appoints over us) do what is in his own heart that is nothing like what we saw at all. That honors God.
Many of us want our enemies annihilated in their power against our personal lives. We haven’t realized or seen that these behaviors are the keys to the release of victory.
Ever wonder why you do a lot of good things for God and still struggle? The struggle is from being in our own flesh and walking in our own ways as we see to walk, it is this behavior and heart attitude that keeps us bound up.
America, the land of those who say they are free and got where they think they are free out of rebellion, yet we are so bound. Invisibly, but bound, not at all free.
I saw a T-shirt lately- Freedom is NOT FREE! I love that. It is true. We so need to know it and seek responsibly with many daily sacrifices unto the Lord.
He gave us a way to be free, it is called death of self and obedience, which is the definition of love.
Be earnest, don’t just say you are.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

1 Corinthians 13 w/ Comments

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


1 Corinthians 13

I may speak in different languagesF19 of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. 2I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 3I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned.F20 But I gain nothing if I do not have love.
4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. 6Love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. 7Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always remains strong.
8Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end. 9The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect. 10But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12It is the same with us. Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me. 13So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

FOOTNOTES:
F19 Other Greek copies read: "hand over my body in order that I may brag."


Lena Journals
Who am I?
What am I?
What am I doing?
Who am I here for?
What is going on?
Really, without love, no one, nothing, nothing, no reason, I don’t know.
With love…….
Patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, joy, peace, longsuffering and self control.
With love, I give, am selfless, calm, at ease, accepting, not contesting, love truth and am receptive to its definitions in life, let grudges go willingly, trusting, hoping, believing in faith- Faith in God, not myself or goodness I’ve been taught, but faith in God, for it pleases God, and I care what pleases God.
I care enough what pleases God to go after His definitions on things, am open to see what I don’t see that He does, and am more than willing to adapt it to my own life. I swallow pride and I weigh my life with His word, even if it is something I’d never think of or do on my own thinking. I live to please Him at His words. I care enough to be willing to stretch my understanding to fit His.
My willingness to change and be changed is evidence of my reciprocation of the love of God.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Acts 22 Today's Daily Bread w/ Journalin' too

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Acts 22
1"Brothers and esteemed fathers," Paul said, "listen to me as I offer my defense." 2When they heard him speaking in their own language, F116 the silence was even greater. 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just as all of you are today. 4And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison. 5The high priest and the whole council of leaders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
6"As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8"'Who are you, sir?' I asked. And he replied, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.' 9The people with me saw the light but didn't hear the voice.
10"I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you are to do.'
11"I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led into Damascus by my companions. 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man in his devotion to the law, and he was well thought of by all the Jews of Damascus. 13He came to me and stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And that very hour I could see him!
14"Then he told me, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. 15You are to take his message everywhere, telling the whole world what you have seen and heard. 16And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the Lord.'
17"One day after I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I fell into a trance. 18I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't believe you when you give them your testimony about me.'
19"'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that I imprisoned and beat those in every synagogue who believed on you. 20And when your witness Stephen was killed, I was standing there agreeing. I kept the coats they laid aside as they stoned him.'
21"But the Lord said to me, 'Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'"
22The crowd listened until Paul came to that word; then with one voice they shouted, "Away with such a fellow! Kill him! He isn't fit to live!" 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship
24The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. 25As they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried?"
26The officer went to the commander and asked, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"
27So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I certainly am," Paul replied.
28"I am, too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me plenty!" "But I am a citizen by birth!"
29The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Paul before the High Council
30The next day the commander freed Paul from his chains and ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. F117 He had Paul brought in before them to try to find out what the trouble was all about.
FOOTNOTES:
F116: Greek in Aramaic.
F117: Greek Sanhedrin.



Lena Journals

As I read this today I realize that religion can actually be an enemy of faith, hope and love.
Religion can be a persecutor of those of a genuine relational faith, hounding them with guilt, shame and performance orientation, binding people up to a system of rules, rather than covenant relationship whose acts are based upon love responded to from a willing and willingly obedient heart. Religion is guilty of even delivering some to imprisonment out of obligatory duty that is void of faith at many levels, except for possibly faith in earning one’s way through one’s own good works of righteousness.
This person bound by religious duty, needs to be saved, freed from bondage and liberated inside of covenant relational kingdom love.
Light has to shine in this darkness, brightly enough for the one bound to even see they are bound.
This is actually the hardest bondage to be delivered from, as the religious one sees themselves and their works as good works that are right. Pride has become a glass that is seen through very darkly and deception a dark cloak over the eyes. Its lead is the way of death, and the victim does not even know it is so.
One must almost be stunned by THE voice of God Almighty and have a stopping Encounter with the Holiness of God, in order to see and hear the true words of the Lord, through this gross religious demonic dark cloud. It is the truth heard that offers and brings freedom!
When Saul was “arrested” by the Spirit of the Lord, he surrendered. He did not plan the Encounter, but when it came, he fell before the truth and gave up.
Giving up a religious lifestyle, filled with prideful arrogance and self sufficiency in good works, is a huge part of freedom and liberty. Huge.
One of the hardest issues to breakthrough to heal a human heart we experience in our congregations, especially in good ol’ Independent prideful USA, is that of a religious spirit, for a religious spirit, does not need anyone to tell them anything, so they cannot, and will not hear the words of freedom sent to heal and free them.
They already know, they have already been there – done that - and have many a T’ Shirt - on almost any word that comes from the pulpits of loving pastors. These pastors are so saddened by an unteachable religious audience, who does not receive, and therefore cannot believe truth. Religious people actually put up walls of protection against truth, guarding their hearts from being changed by the word of God.
A fault religion has left us with is being rebellious to any suggestion for change or movement. The deception, I am ok as I am, why do I need to do anything any other way, manner or form? I’ve done what I’ve done to at least get this far, why would I do anything differently? I’m already matured and experienced and do not need to follow any men (or women), people with skin on.
Religion resists following men, because they are merely human and many a time mistaken, This person does not even have a need to trust God, for they have it under control, through experience being the teacher, they have walls up so thick and bull dozer cannot even bring it down.
God Himself is shut out and there is a watchman guarding the gate to make sure no “intruder” comes through! Yeah I’ve heard that before is a famous line.
Or Yeah I know….I listened…..I heard it….
Never ever asking someone else if they might be wiling to tell us what we do not see for ourselves as we allow them to watch our backsides for enemies of a faith-filled relationship tended by God’s definition of maturing and gardening.
Independent, uncommitted, unteachable uncorrectable, on purpose!
Wow.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Luke 19 Today w/ Journalin'

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Luke 19

Jesus and Zacchaeus
1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there.
5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today."
6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the crowds were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.
8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"
9Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. 10And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."
Story of the Ten Servants
11The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13Before he left, he called together ten servants and gave them ten pounds of silver F85 to invest for him while he was gone. 14But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say they did not want him to be their king.
15"When he returned, the king called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what they had done with the money and what their profits were. 16The first servant reported a tremendous gain—ten times as much as the original amount! 17'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'
18"The next servant also reported a good gain—five times the original amount. 19'Well done!' the king said. 'You can be governor over five cities.'
20"But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'I hid it and kept it safe. 21I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.'
22"'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Hard, am I? If you knew so much about me and how tough I am, 23why didn't you deposit the money in the bank so I could at least get some interest on it?' 24Then turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who earned the most.'
25"'But, master,' they said, 'that servant has enough already!'
26"'Yes,' the king replied, 'but to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who are unfaithful, F86 even what little they have will be taken away. 27And now about these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in my presence.'"
The Triumphal Entry
28After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30"Go into that village over there," he told them, "and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs it.'"
32So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, "Why are you untying our colt?"
34And the disciples simply replied, "The Lord needs it." 35So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36Then the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead of Jesus. 37As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 "Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in highest heaven!" F87
39But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"
40He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry. 42"I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. 43Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you. 44They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."
Jesus Clears the Temple
45Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants from their stalls. 46He told them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." F88
47After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.
FOOTNOTES:
F85: Greek 10 minas; 1 mina was worth about 3 months' wages.
F86: Or who have nothing.
F87: Pss 118:26; 148:1.
F88: Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.



Lena’s Journalin’GOD knows your name and what it means and how it was given to you and by who and why you were born and the circumstances of your arrival and who you were born to etc. He is God! He does care. Even if life has been dirty rotten and a bad deal, He cares, He knows and cares.
The enemy tells us He doesn’t really care if He doesn’t intervene, but that’s not true. He gave men freewill choices and they choose wrong and He lets them or else we’d all be robots.
Ya know, and that’d be a bad deal, we’d not be human freewill beings.
He sure risked a lot letting men freely choose, but they do.
Yet He willingly guides those who want to know blessing and the consequences of right choices.
The biggest and greatest risk He took was that man might not choose to love Him back, that man might not care about Him at all in return! Man might choose darkness and actually be a recruit of satan spending eternity in hell’s fire. That was so risky.
What causes men to choose life? Love does. Conviction of sin does.
Love embraces conviction. It is the teacher to fill gaps in a lifelong relationship with Father God.
Conviction says- what can I do to make this right with God and man.
Zachaaeus became a willing man.
He went from unwilling to willing.
He went from sinner and thief, to saint and giver.
He repented.
He became responsible not by human terms, but to God, on His terms.
We are all responsible whether we know it or own up to it, or embrace it, or not.
We are responsible to choose righteously.
We’ve all been offered and made able through Christ.
He paved the way, paid the toll for our free will’s to be able to respond properly to God.
Before Him, we may have desired to, but there was no power to, no ability, no payment made.
What are we responsible for? Life, and giving its opportunity to others. We’re responsible to change and show others the way to change by our living and willing example. These are the gifts and talents given us in this life by God.
Those who embrace this responsibility get more responsibility and the blessings that come to those who embrace what God loves.
God loves people.
He wants them saved
He wants them discipled and He wants them to love people, save people, and to disciple people. That’s it. However it works, however it can be applied. This is what earth life is all about. It is the steward’s calling. We are all stewards on this earth assignment. This is why we’ve been given the ability of the Holy Spirit.
It isn’t to feel good, it is to receive and give life, spirit and eternal life.
Jesus preached this, then he prophesied it by riding on the back of rebellion. Rebellion lives for everything else but God’s dream. He showed man what His journey to the cross would be about, canceling out the power of rebellion and it’s high priced penalty.
After His resurrection, anyone who wanted their rebellion paid for, in repentance and life change and dedication to God’s dream, could.
Do you bless the One who came in the name of the Lord? Not by mere words, but by lifestyle adaptation and demonstration? Do you bless all who come across your pathway in the name of the Lord? Do you bless people who willingly share the gospel? Are you willingly being discipled by them and following after the tools they’ve learned to use? Or do you sit on it wasting time away thinking about things with good intentions?
Jesus wept over a people who had been allotted the dream of God, who’d been chosen to house it and demonstrate it, but with their will would not move towards it.
Let us not be so religious that we stay put in who we are right now, not moving towards God’s dreams.
Jesus drove out of God’s house those who just decided to ask God’s blessings on doing their own things.
That is an offense to God. He is waiting for people who want to do His will His way and listen intently as students taking notes for life application.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Psalm 34 Today w/ Comments

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Psalm 34

1 I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are discouraged take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together.
4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 I cried out to the LORD in my suffering, and he heard me. He set me free from all my fears.
7 For the angel of the LORD guards all who fear him, and he rescues them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!
9 Let the LORD's people show him reverence, for those who honor him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will never lack any good thing.
11 Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD.
12 Do any of you want to live a life that is long and good?
13 Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.
15 The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one.
20 For the LORD protects them from harm— not one of their bones F31 will be broken!
21 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the LORD will redeem those who serve him. Everyone who trusts in him will be freely pardoned.

FOOTNOTES: F31: Hebrew protects him from harm<197>not one of his bones.

Lena Journals to Psalm 34

Notice the “I will’s”.
David decided to praise the Lord, rather than consider his own luck or his own feats or his own strength. He chooses to praise when he could have complained about any and everything.
The key to a successful life relationship with God and people – choice. “I will”.
He invites us to choose also.
He testifies of choosing, and its effects.
Invites again.
Implores
Testifies
Asks
Invites
Tells how
Gives consequences of not choosing, or choosing to not.
Tells of the Lord’s ways and the consequences that await those who choose and those who choose not.

Know that God is Love, He loves everyone.
Yet not everyone is blessed by His ways. Why?
Everyone does not choose to walk in His ways.
Blessing is a matter of choice.
Those who choose to walk in His ways are blessed. Those who choose not to walk in His ways are not.
Yet he loves them so, and…
Asks them to choose, again
Tells them how, again
Implores them through messengers, again.
Uses people to testify of His ways, again.
And invites, again and again and again.
Any and all who will ever decide to come.
Jesus said, “I have come to do Your will.”
Jesus also said, “My meat and My drink is to do the will of the one who sent Me.”
And, “I delight to do Your will, Oh God.”


Who’s will is a delight to do?
Not mine, but Thine?
That’s a matter of persons.
What do you say, today?

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Job 19 Today plus Journalin'

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Job 19Job's Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad
1Then Job spoke again:
2"How long will you torture me? How long will you try to break me with your words? 3Ten times now you have meant to insult me. You should be ashamed of dealing with me so harshly. 4And even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. 5You are trying to overcome me, using my humiliation as evidence of my sin, 6but it is God who has wronged me. I cannot defend myself, for I am like a city under siege.
7"I cry out for help, but no one hears me. I protest, but there is no justice. 8God has blocked my way and plunged my path into darkness. 9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. 10He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has destroyed my hope. 11His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy. 12His troops advance. They build up roads to attack me. They camp all around my tent.
13"My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. 14My neighbors and my close friends are all gone. 15The members of my household have forgotten me. The servant girls consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even plead with him! 17My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am loathsome to my own family. 18Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me. 19My close friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned against me. 20I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
21"Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me. 22Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you satisfied with my anguish?
23"Oh, that my words could be written. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock.
25"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God F18 ! 27I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!
28"How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, 'It's his own fault'? 29I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude. Then you will know that there is judgment."
FOOTNOTES:
F18: Or without my body I will see God.



Lena Journals to Job 19
How much do we trust God?
Really, how much?
Like when ever things do not go as we desire, when we feel forsaken, even by the blessings of His spirit, do we trust Him? If we felt we had no blessings, no friends, no material goods, no happiness in this world, would we still love God in return?
Many of us might think right now, why would we? Of course not, why would someone love a God like that? He doesn’t deserve it!
Oh wow, I guess deserving it, is the reason to love God then?
That’s called conditional love. This is the most common love we experience in our lifetime. Someone does something to cause us to feel nice and good and loved and then we love them in return.
God’s love is without condition, and when we did not deserve it, He loved us. He still loves us no matter what.
That type of love, that loves even if there is no immediate return, is called unconditional/Covenental love. This is how the love of God operates. We see God operating with humans this way. Do we see humans operating with other humans this way? Do we see humans operating with God this way?
Job was under a test of his love, of his trust and of his faith. He was determined to see the test for what it was and pass it. He was getting on to it. There is an enemy of this love, this trust and this faith and Job was at a place of seeing and accepting that God is God and the enemy is not. He determined-said to himself in it, I’ll give God glory in this test and not give any place to what is coming against my body, soul, or spirit. He had a knowing that that which comes against the very nature of God planted on the inside of him, must be protected within him, he must keep what he first experienced when he felt His love at birth.
Job was in a warfare, just as we all are now. Same war, same fight. When one gets this they’ll get a lot and rather than battle, they’ll win!
In this warfare one must ask himself; Do I trust God? Do I have faith in His words? Do I love Him in return, no matter what happens or appears to be happening in my life? No matter what it seems to be to my human eyes and human understanding? Do I at all believe in what I do not see or understand? Do I have a faith that believes in what I do not yet see or understand? Do I believe God at His word, even if nothing I see matches it, within my reasoning to prove it is true?
Though you feel as though God has cursed your life, could you still bless Him, as Job is saying he will?
Once a person has really seen God, it is enough to live even a lifetime of pain or suffering to get to another place of that sight. If you have not seen Him this way yet, press in, seek and find Him with all of your heart, pursue that vision, that encounter, that revelation, the revelation of Him.
When Job said; I will see God, in my flesh I will see Him; this is what that word “see” is defined as.

Hebrew- Chazah (khaw-zaw')
1. to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy (say what one does not yet see, but they see the idea or plan of in the yet unseen realm), provide
a. (Qal)
1. to see, behold
2. to see as a seer in the ecstatic state (vision/”dream”)
3. to see, perceive 1a (“seeing” before physically seeing)
b. with the intelligence 1a
c. to see (by experience)
d. 1a to provide

KJV (51) - behold, 7; look, 3; prophesy, 2; provide, 1; see, 38;
NAS (50) - behold, 7; envisioned in visions, 1; gaze, 2; gloat, 1; look, 3; looked, 1; prophesy, 3; saw, 7; see, 12; seeing, 1; seen, 7; sees, 4; select, 1;

After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, there were 2 women who loved Him who went to seek and find His body to pack it with spices for burial and preservation for the grave. They found no body in His tomb, and they found an angel who said, “He’s alive”.
After hearing this message of hope and of life, they asked others, “Have you yet seen Him, have you seen the body of the Lord?” This caused others to also seek the body of the Lord.
He is appearing to us in a new form today, in the form of a body, in His Body – the Body of Christ! We do not have to look far, and He may not appear as we’d like Him to, but we can see Him there as He is!
He also appears for us in heaven – cheering us along as we seek to see Him. He ever lives and appears for us in heaven before His and Our Father, He appears there to make intercession for us according to the will of God, in the very presence of God day and night.
No matter what appears, no matter what happens, how can we not love Him?
We love Him, because (we have been able to see) He first loved us, and gave His very own life for us.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Matthew 5 Today - Journalin' later on.....

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God Bless You Today, Lena B



Matthew 5 (The Message Version)
You're Blessed
1When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down 2and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
8"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11"Not only that--count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. 12You can be glad when that happens--give a cheer, even!-for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Salt and Light
13"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 16Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Completing God's Law
17"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures--either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. 18God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.
19"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. 20Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
Murder
21"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, "Do not murder.' 22I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother "idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell "stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
23"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, 24abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
25"Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. 26If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine.
Adultery and Divorce
27"You know the next commandment pretty well, too: "Don't go to bed with another's spouse.' 28But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices--they also corrupt.
29"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. 30And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.
31"Remember the Scripture that says, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'? 32Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are "legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
Empty Promises
33"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. 34-36You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, "I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, "God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. 37Just say "yes' and "no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Love Your Enemies
38"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' 39Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: "Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. 40If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. 41And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. 42No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43"You're familiar with the old written law, "Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, "Hate your enemy.' 44I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, 45for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. 46If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. 47If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Revelation 22 Today w/ Journalin too

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God Bless You Today, Lena B



Revelation 22

1And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, F43 with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
3No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
6Then the angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true: 'The Lord God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you what will happen soon.'"
Jesus Is Coming
7"Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll."
8I, John, am the one who saw and heard all these things. And when I saw and heard these things, I fell down to worship the angel who showed them to me. 9But again he said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!"
10Then he instructed me, "Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near. 11Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness."
12"See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
14Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
16"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. F44 I am the bright morning star."
17The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let each one who hears them say, "Come." Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge. 18And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
20He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.

FOOTNOTES:
F43: Or 12 kinds of fruit.
F44: Greek I am the root and offspring of David.



Lena Journals to Revelation 22
What is the river symbolic of? Think about it, what flows from the very throne of God, then touches and affects things, both naturally and spiritually speaking? What is very clear, very pure, and would bring life and healing where there is growth? In Him is the light of life and there is no darkness at all.
Jesus said, God is Spirit and they who worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. He also taught us that a man must be made spiritually alive or else he is living (or growing) death, for he is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. That man is living a life separated from the very essence of God, who is Spirit and gives and authors life and healthy growth. Without His Spirit being made alive in and for us, we may grow for a time, but we grow with the effects of death on us, and the fruits are not healing fruits and good fruits that give healing to others.
Yet if a man’s own spirit is born again and submitted to a committed life in Christ, that man’s growth is flourishing in nature and in all he does, and who he is, the very life affecting him brings life to those his life flows to.
Do you know that the word “angel” means one who brings a message, a messenger? The angel showed me….How do we “see” or rather understand things? Through messages brought through “angels” or messengers we listen to and believe in. Neat huh?
Has an “angel” showed you pure water flowing from the throne and the way to have some? The woman at the well speaking with Jesus said, Sir, can I have some of this water that I may never thirst again? He told her rivers of this eternal kind of spirit water would flow out from her very own temple, or the sanctuary of God that would be created within her when she believed in, received, and lived a new lifestyle with Him.
We are the new and living temples of God.
Is living water flowing? Is the Spirit invited and made to be welcomed by your new lifestyle of faith in God and do you welcome convictions based on His word and a life lived walking in the instructions of His spirit life?
This living water is so restorative to even our humanness. It is life to even our bodies here. People need to have this life flowing out from us. They need to see it flow.
12 crops of fruit, a new crop each month…That’s lifestyle. Not just quick fix, or one dose, but every day, every week, every month, every year.
Every messenger who believes their message is of God must point THE Way to God the Father through Jesus Christ, otherwise his message is merely good, and mere goodness does not last, it is life filled messages that sprout fruit trees with eternal fruit that remain.
“Continue” is such a kingdom word.
In America, what do we continue?
Think about it. How long do we continue? Until what?
Forever?
I wonder how many times the word quit enters hearts and minds in our culture in just one persons day?
Hearing continue in comparison to the word quit, I wonder which outweighs which?
Do you know the gospel message believed and received is free, but it was not without cost?
What the Lord offers us in life is freely offered and can be freely received. The big part of free is free will. I can decide to or not to believe and receive the messages of truth and I can decide to or not to do what I hear and live a new way than I already know to live. This is truly the free part. The other free part is I do not have to die to pay for the consequences of my smallest mistakes. He did that for me, that part is free, but for me to walk in His ways will cost the rest of my own life, not living for self, but for what He wants done, and He’ll probably tell me what to do and how through another human person, a messenger, an “angel”, and I may not always like how the person looks, acts, or talks. I may not agree with them everyday. This is where my faith is tested. Do I REALLY want this life? Do I REALLY want to follow Jesus when it may mean as I follow men, I follow Him? Do I REALLY want to walk a walk of faith in God, when I’d have to lay down my own opinions and learn ways I’ve never ever walked in before?
It’s free, but it costs my will its life.
He gave His, do we REALLY want to give ours (up)?
Come, Eat, Drink, and Live!
This way of life is THE WAY to eternal life and fellowship with God.
It’ll cost you the laying down of this life willingly now and you’ll gain it all in eternity, which begins whenever we decide.
I have decided to follow Jesus, NO turning back….

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Revelation 6 w/ Journalin'

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Revelation 6
The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals
1As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then one of the four living beings called out with a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!" 2I looked up and saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
3When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!" 4And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" And I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6And a voice from among the four living beings said, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day's pay. F16 And don't waste F17 the olive oil and wine."
7And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!" 8And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave. F18 They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease F19 and wild animals.
9And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their witness. 10They called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us? When will you avenge our blood against these people?" 11Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters F20 —their fellow servants of Jesus—had been martyred.
12I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from trees shaken by mighty winds. 14And the sky was rolled up like a scroll and taken away. And all of the mountains and all of the islands disappeared. 15Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy people, the people with great power, and every slave and every free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who will be able to survive?"
FOOTNOTES:
F16: Greek A choinix of wheat for a denarius, and 3 choinix of barley for a denarius.

F17: Or hurt.
F18: Greek by Hades.
F19: Greek death.
F20: Greek their brothers.



Lena Journals’
Come – see the victory
Come – see the war
Come – be measured willingly
Come – see the spirit of death and its effects on the earth
Come – see how long till vengeance is paid in full
Come – see what really mattered, who really mattered, and what was really leftover in the end…..
Come see and behold Him as He is revealed in His word.
The day of His appearing is a Great and a terrible day, depending on what standing we have with Him or do not have with Him.
Where do you stand today? Religiously faithful, or before Him willingly accountable and full of faith? Do you do what you do out of passionate love for who and what he loves, or are you involved in dutiful actions?
There is a difference.
The difference is known when we see Him as he is and find who we are in Him.

Revelation 1 & 2 w/ Comments

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Revelation 1
Prologue
1This is a revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants. 2John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.
3God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.
John's Greeting to the Seven Churches
4This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the seven spirits before his throne; 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6He has made us his Kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!
7Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One."
Vision of the Son of Man
9I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus. 10It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast. 11It said, "Write down what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
12When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13And standing in the middle of the lampstands was one who looked like a man He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades 19Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers for the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Lena Journals to Revalation 1
Revelation, revealing, appearing, exposure to human understanding, what was covered is now uncovered, veiled unveiled.
This is the revelation of Him, to us.
Revelation can be for both now and later, both symbolic and literal, or symbolically literal. This is why the revealing and the appearance. For if we do not see Him as He is we stay as we are, but when we see Him as He is, we are able to become Him. (see yesterday’s passages: Eph 3).
To see Him clearly in revelation is to know Him, to know Him is to love Him, to love Him is to obey Him. To obey Him is also to make Him known to others.
Active willing obedience bring forth the eternal plan of God, and glorifies the Lord in the earth, thus bringing forth the answer to our prayer led by Jesus, Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, amen.
God always uses men for the earth. He gives a message , a warning, or a revelation, to a man and expects that man to do with it what God made for him to do, talk, share, preach the good news.
I have heard many well meaning Christians say,” I don’t listen to men, I hear form God directly, men make mistakes and misinterpret, so I just do what God tells me to do.”
In this passage God is revealing Himself not directly, but indirectly through a trusted man, not trusted necessarily by a personality compatible human, but an obedient man who will faithfully carry the message. It is God who uses as He chooses the messenger, not us. If we pick and choose who we’ll hear a word of the Lord through or not, we’ll miss so much!
I think it is neat that each church had a messenger, which means a message sent to it specifically, maybe like an assignment to fulfill as a part of the great army of God in the earth. Churches are like companies, each may have a specialty in a community, adding to the whole scope of what God wants to do in that area.
Do we hear what the spirit says to our church? Through Pastors? Leaders? Or are we only moving upon what we hear God tell us directly, possibly missing the rest?
There is domestic rule and ecclesial rule.
We rule in our own homes first, and then if we are a part of a church body locally, we bring our own ideas of rule at home under the idea God has given a leader for the corporate body, willingly submitting our crowns to the crown of an ecclesial ruler for the purpose of unity being able to be expressed.
If we somehow cannot submit our orderly families to an ecclesial ruler, why would we even bring our
families to a church? Think about it, we come to unify and add the power of unity by joining in with what is established by God in a house, led by a man as head under THE head which is Christ. A church body cannot function well with many heads, all ruling as they “think it should be done”.
If we hold a personal opinion within a body that differs from the head of that body, our independent stance is taking away from the unity a local body is meant to display. The Body of Christ has been set up by God to be more than one person giving their own personal opinions into a corporate rule, submitting to the rules of others under God, sacrificing their own lives and ways that He might live and have His ways displayed That He might be seen clearly by the world who is seeking to find Him.
So rather than be a part of a corporate body, yet stay staunch, not ever yielding as a participant in the unity of a local body, why not lay down for the corporate good of others, giving your life for others, as Christ Himself did, as an example to each of us? It doesn’t mean your home life cannot be led by what you hear God saying for your family, it should mean that your family’s leading is also in unity with a vision that benefits a corporate community and house.
Does veering towards what a man is being led by God to do, going to harm your family? Probably not. Each family counts the cost, and should be saving up, possibly even working harder to be able to pay whatever price that family can, to unify for a power filled work in the earth. One can be powerful in Him, two more powerful in Him and three, wow! What about 4,5,6,7 and more!


Revelation 2The Message to the Church in Ephesus
1"Write this letter to the angel of F7 the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
2"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! 5Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don't, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do.
7"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
The Message to the Church in Smyrna
8"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:
9"I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren't because theirs is a synagogue of Satan. 10Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for 'ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.
The Message to the Church in Pergamum
12"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword:
13"I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan's followers. 14And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you—people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. 16Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Message to the Church in Thyatira
18"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are bright like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19"I know all the things you do—your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin. 21I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality. 22Therefore, I will throw her upon a sickbed, and she will suffer greatly with all who commit adultery with her, unless they turn away from all their evil deeds. 23I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching ('deeper truths,' as they call them—depths of Satan, really). I will ask nothing more of you 25except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26"To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. 27They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
FOOTNOTES:
F7: Or the messenger for; also in 2:8, 12, 18.


Lena Journals Some of the passage to be brought for meditation:

You don't love me or each other as you did at first
Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.
I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me
But, You tolerate (what I call sin)…
Repent,
Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven (revelation will bring it out)
You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin.
I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person.
To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
Amen

Sunday, August 12, 2007

1 John 3 Today w/ Journalin' too

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


1 John 3
Living as Children of God
1See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are his children. 2Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
3And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.
4Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. 5And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him. 6So if we continue to live in him, we won't sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is.
7Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. 9Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians F8 does not belong to God.

Love One Another
11This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right. 13So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, F9 if the world hates you.
14If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15Anyone who hates another Christian F10 is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. 16We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. 17But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help—how can God's love be in that person?
18Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 19It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
FOOTNOTES:
F8: Greek his brother.
F9: Greek brothers; also in 3:14, 16.
F10: Greek his brother.


Lena Journals to 1 John 3
To be called children of the Father is no small thing. We are not born of God automatically, because we are born into the earth. Being born of the spirit is a willful birth, a birth of choice. Our first birth to earth was not of our own wills, but that of our parents. Their decision gave us opportunity to be here and be able to decide to become children of God as our Father. He chose each of us, yet each of us must come to a place to choose His ways above our own, to choose His ways willingly, change the lifestyle choices from here on out, and adapt to His ways always is His dream come true. To say that we’ll live this way and do it are a whole ‘nother deal. This is what gives us the name “children”, we act as He would, we do what we say we will, even to our own hurt.
Have you ever said something you wished you did not say and then when it came time to do it, you either had to or you’d be going back on your words and you knew that would cost you a lot to do so? This is how God’s kingdom works. Words should be very weighty. One should not speak them too quickly, yet they should be spoken and then expected to be backed up with corresponding actions. This is God’s way – to commit, to say and to do. The keeping of words can be done with His help, when it becomes costly or hard to do.
The biggest commitments that should be made by children of God and kept, are that to God, to serve and love Him forever with lifestyle action, then to love other people as He would, beginning in willful regular demonstration with natural born family and then spiritually born family (church people) and then with those who do not yet know Him by seeing Him demonstrated by someone.
IF we believe in Him and IF we believe we are His children and representatives of Him, we keep ourselves pure. Purity is defined for us through His word, not by other men’s good opinions formulated by culture and what is presently acceptable in behavior. Culture changes. God’s word does not.
I keep to learning more and more of His word and I allow it and I to become one with each other. I form new ideas around what I’ve learned in His word. That’s what I form new opinions from.
I define sin by how God defines sin. I willingly see sin as that which greatly offends God and what would keep me from His intimate fellowship. I stay away from it and stay close to God. If I keep sinning, I still need to be crucified with Christ, I need to seek God to really see Him and to have Him revealed to me. I may need to start my walk over a-new, today the right way, humbled, repentant, and actively living holy, accepting of His word as highest authority over me.
Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians, does not belong to God.
There are some shocking statements in this passage, such as the one above. Believing this will keep me from a lifestyle of self seeking, if I truly have a love for God.
True eternal spirit-led Love obeys, because it wants to. We cannot allow our souls to make excuses for our behaviors whenever we read God’s word.
Look at part “b” of just this sentence – IF I don’t love other Christians (even unperfected, mean, rude ones) I do not belong to God! I’ve heard so many people say, Oh I love God, I just hate the church, or I love GOD , BUT NOT His people! Ouch. It is time for change when we read the book we see this is not possible.
If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. It shows we are crucified willingly with Christ, allowing His love to be alive in us. AND- We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. ……let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord…..Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Amen.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Ephesians 3 Today w/ Comments

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God Bless You Today, Lena B


Ephesians 3

God's Secret Plan Revealed
1I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles. 2As you already know, God has given me this special ministry of announcing his favor to you Gentiles. 3As I briefly mentioned earlier in this letter, God himself revealed his secret plan to me. 4As you read what I have written, you will understand what I know about this plan regarding Christ. 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
6And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus. 7By God's special favor and mighty power, I have been given the wonderful privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10God's purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. 11This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome. 13So please don't despair because of what they are doing to me here. It is for you that I am suffering, so you should feel honored and encouraged.
Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering
14When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, F4 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. 17And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
20Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. 21May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.

FOOTNOTES:
F4: Some manuscripts read the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Lena's Journalin'

There is a revelation of principle here to bring out to our understanding. God gives us the principles in His word for us to get to know Him personally, that we’d get to understand the very character of God.
When one understands basic kingdom principles, they will also be able to see and learn many other things that stem off of those principles. Just as when one has learned the English alphabet and the sounds of that alphabet and the different combinations of those sounds, one can read words that were never ”taught” them. The principles for assembling the words were taught them and through learning and knowing the principles they were able to assemble new words on their own.
There is an identifiable principle of God outlined here. It is the principle of God having an original plan that is set to work through man. The plan was set up by the design and will of God. He set it up to be worked through specifically chosen men. If or when those men do not choose the plan, the plan does not change, the plan goes on and God offers its choice to others who may accept it at will. If others choose to accept it and adopt the plan as their own, becoming one with God in His plan, becoming a plan operator a participator and even a supervisor of the plan, they benefit from the blessings of obedience that come through fulfilling a plan of God and working with their Father and Creator.
There is no reason ever for the originally chosen to be angry, disappointed, or jealous of those who do (secondarily) choose the plan, being blessed, when they see that they may have lost their own blessing which was originally meant for them by God, but was being given to others who chose to fulfill and work it for and with God.
Those who choose His way prosper and have the success of sons, those who choose their own way live with the consequences of living one’s own way. Rather than be angry at the One who offered the plan, with the new understanding that its offers and blessings were given to others, it would behoove the originally chosen ones to swallow pride, bow the knee, repent to get back on that bandwagon. I assure you there’s still room and blessings for the obedient. The lesson learned is warmth to a Father’s heart.
Even now if the originally chosen by God Jewish people turn to the ways of Christ, they too will be blessed. The Bible tells us all that we are blessed in what we do. It’s never over till we exit the earth. Opportunity is knocking daily. God will always receive a repentant humbled son. Bottom line - God blesses obedient actions of faith!
He doesn’t ask us to do what He does not empower us to do. Through faith in the power He gives us, and has made available to us, we can do anything He asks of us. It is what we believe that we will do. If we don’t believe it (yet) we won’t do it. To say we believe it, without doing it, is deception, usually self deception.
One must act out what they say they believe for it to become solid and true and be blessed by God.
When Christians say they give their whole live to God, their words are very cheap if they keep their life to their own guides. If they give God some of their life, and go to church as an obligation, they’ve not yet seen or known Him as He is.
If I’ve truly seen Him, I know that My life is not mine, I was bought with a price.
If I know that, I live that way.
I glorify God with what I do with my body, what I lend my soul to, and how I spend the life of my spiritual growth. I care how I live and who I spend time with, and what comes into my thinking. I’m even a steward of the mysteries God revels to me through His word. They aren’t free just because I hear them or get a glimpse, and whenever I understand something from the word, I don’t get to just keep it without guarding it and growing in it by acting on what I’ve understood. Everything He gives me can easily be taken from me, either by an enemy talking me out of it, or something in my life giving me an alternate message, or my own life’s choices form other offers that come my way everyday. I just may choose another way or an easier idea. I’m a keeper, a guard of my own faith. If I value God Word in my life I choose to keep it.
There a song I love – I Have decided to Follow Jesus, no turning back, though no one else goes with me, still I will follow, no turning back, the world behind me, the cross (and the throne) before me, no turning back, no turning back.
The key, by revelation of the love of God I decide, commit my whole life to Him.
If He is the only God, and I have none before Him, I do this.